Lumens VS Watts

There seems to be some confusion about how to tell how bright a bulb really is, “I used to look at the wattage but now lumens are on the box”?

Before energy saving bulbs were available, the brightness of a bulb was measured by wattage and wattage alone. Everyone knew that a 60W bulb was brighter than a 40W but still not as bright as a 100W. Now days, it is important to know the difference between Watts and Lumens.

Watts measures the amount of electrical power a bulb consumes, meaning it is a measure of energy. Whereas Lumens essentially measures how bright the bulb is.

For years people have been purchasing bulbs based on wattage (Watts) rather than how much light (Lumens) with many of the opinion ‘Surely a higher wattage would mean a brighter bulb?’ Although a good logic, with today’s LED technology this is not always the case, a 6W LED GU10 is a good alternative to a 50W halogen! Just think of the saving in terms of energy especially if you have multiple downlights.

When searching for a brighter light, you should look for bulbs with higher lumens – the higher the lumens the brighter the light – if you are looking to replace a 50W GU10 bulb you should look for a lumens level of approx. 450.

So when searching for a new bulb, think Lumens not Watts.

About the Author

Mark Griffin Having worked in lighting for over 12 years my experience has been gained in a variety of lighting companies spanning decorative lighting, outdoor lighting and the light bulb market. The most recent years have been spent in launching LED products to the UK market.